Revisiting Three of Our Favorites

Our Greeters to Jekyll Island

On our first trip 4 years ago we stopped at Jekyll Island and enjoyed it very much.  We enjoyed it the second time around as much or even more and coming through the bridge we were greeted by these pelicans and cormorant. 

Jekyll Island Marina

 First of all Jekyll Island Marina is the most “preeee-cious”  (that is a drawl, can you tell we are in the south!) little marina with friendly people.  They have a small pool, hot tub (unfortunately a bit cold for those), bikes, courtesy car, laundry and restaurant on site.

Scenery while biking on Jekyll

  We borrowed the car to go to the grocery which was our biggest disappointment on the island.  It is in a trailer.  The store was old so they razed the building and put in a convention center and put the few stores on the island in trailers out near the ocean.  (Why, I don’t know because the rest of the island is nice.) There were adequate supplies but prices like in the Bahamas!  We got what we needed and then headed out after lunch for a bike ride.  We have been very lazy about getting our folding bikes out especially with theirs being so convenient.  

Driftwood Beach

Arleen on Driftwood Beach

We were not planning on a long ride but the weather was so pleasant we just kept going on the bike path to the north end of the island to see Driftwood Beach.  It is a neat beach with all these dead fallen trees right on the ocean's edge. 

By the time we got back to the marina my legs felt like mush! 

A "Must See"

   

That night was dinner on board while we did laundry, finally a marina with a short dock to land.

"The Club"- the Millionaires Club that is!

We were glad to be at the marina because it got down into the low forties.  

Al and I walked over to the historic district which offers paved pathways through 33 of the “Millionaires Club” cottages and structures.  This was the get-a-way for the Rockefellers, Goodyears  and other “old money” families. Last time we enjoyed lunch at The Club which we highly recommend! You have to experience it at least once.

 Besides reading the placards about the various cottages we also went to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.  We learned a lot about sea turtles and saw them patching one sea turtle's shell.  They have tanks with sea turtles that have been hurt or have problems.  They put info out on each turtle, when it was brought in, where it was found, what they have been doing to help the turtle, whether or not they feel it can be released again, etc.  It was quite interesting.   

Tanks for the sea turtles

Mending a shell on a turtle.

The entire island is interesting and we just loved the bike paths, some along the road, and others through the maritime forest.  When we got back to the marina our friends on Ar-turus were there, so shared a dinner together at Sea-Jays which is at the marina.  BRRRR-cold again, glad we can plug in the heat!

Cockle Shells a plenty!

Cumberland Island Beach

The next day we moved on to another one of our favorite places, Cumberland Island which is only accessible by boat or ferry.  It is for people who like to hike and enjoy nature.  After resting a bit once we arrived, we then went ashore. People can do primitive camping on the island and there are all sorts of trails.  The island is approximately 17 miles long, so we only see the southern end.  Since it was 3:30pm until we got in, we just did a short hike out to the beach.   The beach is so wide and just full of mostly cockle shells. 

Look at that twisted trunk!

It is just a lovely spot and the inner island is maritime forest with the gnarly live oaks and hanging Spanish moss and the ground covered with palmetto plants and a few flowers here and there.  It is beautiful. 

Palmetto

And our friends, Blair and Dennis, thought so too when they went in with us the next day. 

Dungeness ruins

We hiked down to Dungeness a mansion built in  around 1796 which suffered a fire and was purchased by Thomas Carnegie and built a 58 room mansion on the previous foundation.  Unfortunately, it fell to fire again in 1959 and only the remains are still there.  There is a tremendous history to this island which you can read about at:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland_Island.  While we were there, two of the wild horses posed out front of it just for us! 

Thanksgiving is coming!

Wild turkeys came close enough for pictures too.  We should have gotten one since Thanksgiving isn’t too far away!  I don’t think the park rangers would have approved, since it is a National Seashore and considered one of the most underdevelopment places in the United States!  Even though this was our third time here, we still saw areas we did not see before. 

Small crab in marsh mud.

Al, Dennis and Blair looking at the crabs.

Beautiful  marsh view from the boardwalk.

We went out on a board walk to the marsh area where we enjoyed watching the scurrying of tiny crabs in the marsh mud and even caught site of another horse there.   

Getting to the beach from Dungeness

Enjoying a rest and lunch in the maritime forest.

 After hiking the beach back to where we started, we stopped for lunch in the shade of the maritime forest.  Afterward we hiked more trails hoping to spot an armadillo which we had seen the last two visits, but it was to no avail.  On the bulletin board at the welcome center, there was a notice that the drought conditions and colder weather had taken a toll on the armadillo population so was probably the reason for no sighting. 

Later we shared dinner and a beautiful sunset on the back of Arturus.  What a way to end a beautiful day!

Farmer's Market

Only 12 miles to get to Fernandina Beach which was our next stop.  It was a Saturday so we struck gold because the farmer’s market is that day.  It was nothing like the one at home with probably 200 stands but it was a welcome sight for fruits and veggies. 

Petanque-Are you familiar with it?  We weren't!

                                    
 The town itself has charming shops and all kinds of neat restaurants.  We could see canopies and action going on from our boat. We discovered they were having a tournament of a French game called Petanque, which is similar to the Italian bocce ball except for instead of rolling the balls you toss the balls.  Supposedly this was a world tournament with people from all over. 

Small cruise ship at the dock in Fernadina.

From this town you can also get a small cruise ship that does some of the inter-coastal waterway and various ports.  We thoroughly enjoyed our one day stay here. 

Fernandina Beach, FL

The town itself is pretty from our boat but look to the left or right and you have this type of view.  However, the mills are operating, which mean people have jobs, which helps Fernandina to be such a thriving little town!

Mills in Fernandina Beach on a cloudy morning.  That isn't smoke from them, but steam.

One sad part  of Fernandina Beach is this is where we were parting ways the next morning with Arturus who had to move faster than us to make some commitments.  Four years ago this is where we parted ways with our friends, Jim and Jeannie Lea whom we traveled with from Portsmouth, VA.  Next major stop will be St. Augustine.

Georgia- A Good Place to Hook

Well, we did leave Charleston Harbor marina with a bit of flair.  Arturus and Kathrian both left that morning and it seems we did the best of all getting out.  The winds and current made it so tricky.  We motored to Ashapoo Creek and anchored on the side of the creek where there was a bank to get us out of the deep water.  It was nice to have a night without howling winds and rigging banging from nearby boats.

We motored onto the lovely town of Beaufort, SC.  We anchored in Factory Creek (do not know why it is called that, there are no factories) while Arturus and Kathrian anchored past the bridge and off of Downtown Beaufort Marina.  There was an interesting floating object anchored in the creek.  It looks like a work in progress!

What is it?

 We had to get our propane tank refilled and a few groceries so it was closer to go from Factory Creek.  The gentleman from Lady’s Island Marina allowed us to tie the dinghy there to get our supplies.  We walked about ½ mile walk to the hardware and grocery.  Then went by dinghy across the river to the Downtown Marina and had a shower for $1pp. 

Happy Hour on Kathrian

We met up with Blair and Dennis and had Happy Hour on Kathrian a Corbin 39 with a very interesting open layout inside.  Jack had redone the entire inside and it was very nice.  We said our goodbyes to both couples because they were heading to Hilton Head to visit friends.  We motored our dinghy back with a nice sunset lighting our way.

Motoring back from Beaufort across the river to
 Blue Heaven in Factory Creek

We went through the 9am opening of the bridge hoping to get to Bull Creek.  Al checked the engine and noticed oil leaking from a hose on the engine, so on to plan B.  We went into Port Royal Marina just south of Beaufort.  We were able to use their courtesy car to go to a hydraulic hose shop to get the hoses replaced.  The courtesy car was a pick-up truck.  

  Al was like a kid in a candy store, since he always wanted a pick-up truck, but I always nixed the idea.  So we spent several hours at the garage getting them replaced and then several hours while he put them back on.

Potluck dinner at Port Royal Marina

At the marina every Friday night they have a potluck dinner to which we were invited.  While mingling with the folks, we met a gentleman named Claiborne.  Now that is an unusual name, so I asked if he was Claiborne Young who writes all the cruising guides along the east coast that we use and he was!  He was going to be giving a presentation to a trawler group the next day at the marina.  You never know who you will run into.

The dock from land to the boat.

How would you like to take a cart down this!

 One comment I have to make to all our sailing association friends;  None of you should be complaining of the distance to your boat at the marina because you should see how far the folks in the south have to go and look at the angle of the ramps at low tide.  We have it easy!

The waterway of Georgia.

We entered Georgia and there is not a lot to say, except  marshes, marshes and more marshes!

Pretty contrast of the marsh grass against the green trees.

more marshes and an occasional tree or two.

We anchored in Herb Creek shortly after Thunderbolt, GA.  While passing the marina you can see just a few of the "little" yachts they have there!

A few of the "little" boats in Thunderbolt, GA.

We had a very pleasant  and quiet evening.  The next day was very much like the last. This made for an excellent rug hooking day because I would not be distracted by the scenery since it all looked the same.  I wonder how many boats have wool and wool cutters on board as well as wool fuzz balls on their floors! (For those interested, I entered an addition to the blog before this one, for my rug hooking friends to see the progress of my rug.)   

Wool and rug hooking supplies, Al asks, " Is this a cockpit of a boat?"

Sunrise on the Wahoo in the east.

We went through a section called Hell Gate today.  Luckily it was high tide and saw 10-11ft. The tide is 8 ft. here so you don’t want to go through at low tide with a 4 ½ ft. draft boat!   We spent another quiet night in the Wahoo River with a pretty sunset and a pretty sunrise the next day.  

Sunset on the Wahoo to the west.

Out of the Wahoo and another day of motoring and rug hooking because it was the same, more marshes!

We anchored just to the left of the Golden Isle Marina so that it will be a short day to get to Jekyll Island. Every morning Al has to spray a lot to get the mud off.  I must say the mud of Georgia seems to be good for placing "the hook" and a great place to do rug hooking, thus the name of the blog entry. 

For My Rughooking Friends and Interested Followers

Bahamian Sea Life earlier in the trip.

I added a blog addition just for my rug hooking friends and those interested parties.  I thought you might like to see the progress of my “Bahamian Sea Life” rug.  I really have done quite a bit once we hit Georgia, because the waterway is pretty much the same thing through Georgia- lots of marsh grass.  Luckily the slightly cooler temps have kept the no-see-ums away so I don’t have to swat while hooking. 

It is quite difficult to get a picture of the whole rug because of it being so long and narrow.  I have taken pictures of the individual blocks so you can see them better.

Coral flowing in the current.

Background wool dyed by Patti Stone

Patti, the wool you sent looks great, and I had just enough to add into the small fish picture too.

Changed my original fish to this one.

This one was a real challenge.  You had to use one strand of thread for the burgundy stripes.

I added to the original design which was good or I might have been short of background wool.

My last block that needs to be done!

Conch Shells with background wool dyed by Marion Sachs.

 The turquoise you gave me Marion really sets the conch off!  Thanks.

Pen Shell

This background was extremely close.  I had about 1/2 inch left of background wool!

The yellow background was just what this fish needed.

Left side of the rug.

Right side of the rug.

One more block to go and then the borders.  I am getting there slowly but surely!

Waiting out Hurricane Sandy in Charleston

After leaving Georgetown, SC we had a sleigh ride going down the ICW at 8.2 knots being pushed by the current to anchor in Whiteside Creek. 

Through the Ben Sawyer Bridge before the high winds closed it!

We had one bridge to get through and when Blue Heaven and three other boats got there she said I  cannot open now since the winds were over 25 knots.  We were relieved when she opened it which was good since the current was really strong and that was not the easiest spot for 4 boats to maneuver around.  

No we are not in the Bahamas yet!

 Listening to the weather closely, and checking the tides and currents, Al decided we wanted to get into Charleston Harbor Marina between 12:30pm and 1pm.  Current is very strong in this area so it is very important to know how it is flowing when docking.  With help from the dock boy and neighboring boaters, we got into the slip safely.  Arturus was two slips away.  This marina is on the opposite side of the river from Charleston at Patriots Pt. in Mt. Pleasant.  They have a free shuttle from the hotel and also had a cruiser’s special, so price was a bit cheaper and they also gave two tickets for using the water taxi.  The hotel has a lovely pool and beach area, all which can be used if you are in the marina. 

Blue Heaven stripped of dodger for hurricane.

The first task at hand was to prepare the boat for the higher winds predicted which were 30-40 knots.  We had been in winds that strong before but we have been nursing our dodger along (for non-sailor friends, that is the cover over the companion way which keeps wind and splashes off of us.) so we did not want to take a chance and have it torn apart, so we removed it.  Al also tied the main sail down more and put on extra dock lines.





Then a dock party took place with the weekend boaters introducing themselves and having a good time.

Sweet Grass Basket Vendors

Carriage Tours of Charleston

Since it was not to start raining until later at night, we and Blair and Dennis from Arturus decided to take the shuttle into Charleston to walk around and have dinner.Can you tell we are in Charleston.  Carriage tours, sweet grass basket vendors and the neat Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge!

Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge

 

Fried Green Tomatoes.  Delicious!

We had our first true southern meal at the famous “Jestine's Kitchen.” Jestine was a black woman who started the restaurant and who lived to be over a hundred. It is a small eclectic restaurant with all sorts of knick knacks all around.  We all shared fried green tomatoes with a pickled tomato relish to start off.  Delicious! Fried chicken, mac & cheese and southern green beans (cooked in broth forever, but good). We shared a piece of pecan pie for dessert.  Now if that isn’t a southern dinner, I don’t know what is!  Now that had to be exercised off by a lot of walking!!!

Looking out from inside BH

Saturday was very dreary and rainy as you can see in the picture, so chore time again.  Oil changed, freezer defrosted and laundry done.  Thought we would go tour the USS Yorktown, the aircraft carrier that you could get to at one end of the marina dock, but when we found out it was $15 pp we decided we did not want to see it that much! 

Blair and Dennis invited us over for soup and salad which tasted very good on this cooler wet day.  When going over we saw the magnificent sunset to the west with the pelicans on the marina breakwater and looking to the east was the full moon in the sky before it was even dark.  

Sunset looking toward Charleston

Full moon out before sunset!

A Mexican Train night.

We played Mexican Train dominoes afterward, which was a pleasant way to end a hurricane day.  The wind howled all day but was not anything we haven’t experienced before.

We awoke to a bright sunny day but still windy.  We went into Charleston on the 10am shuttle so we could attend church. We had an hour before the service started so we went through the Old Market.  I did not expect it to be open on Sunday but it was!   Afterward we had brunch at a restaurant called “Toast.”  It was great for breakfast but they also had sandwiches too.  It seemed to be a very popular restaurant. We hiked across town to the Harris Teeter for a few items and then took the water taxi from Mariner’s Wharf back to the marina.  We put the dodger back on and filled the water tanks hoping to move on the next day.  I made apple cobbler and so shared dessert with our friends from Arturus.  The winds died down quite nice in the evening which was a good sign.

Wrong!  About 3AM the winds picked back up to being higher than before and brought much colder temps.  So stay we did!  The winds also switched slightly from north to northwest which caused us to rock more in the slip. 

Cozy Blue Heaven with the new decor!

We wanted to get off the boat, so we walked to Shem’s Creek with Blair and Dennis, about a 2 ½ mile walk one way.  Had lunch and then walked back.  That took a good part of the day and tired us out quite well.  A night to watch TV in cozy Blue Heaven and sit with the heater on was on our agenda.  (Check out the new decor, it used to be gray blue with lighthouse theme.  Now it is more tropical.)

We kept watching TV for the updates of what was happening up north and nothing we experienced compares to what our northern neighbors had.  Everyone was in our thoughts and prayers.

Can you tell we are in the south?

Since it was so cold now we were not anxious to leave the dock where we can have heat, so another day in Charleston.  Up at the hotel where we catch the shuttle bus they had carved pumpkins for Halloween.  I loved this one.

We headed in to town to look for a sweet grass basket, but all I came back with was something from my favorite kitchen store.  The street vendors were not out.  I don't know if it was due to the cold or because it wasn't a weekend.  Their prices are usually better than in the Old Market.  I thought the prices there were out of sight!

Later that night we went back into Charleston and had dinner with Blair and Dennis, and Jack and Donna on Kathrian.  They are from Ottawa and came in the same day as we did and was the boat between us and Arturus in the slips.  We went to S.N.O.B (Slightly North of Broad) which we went to four years ago and it was as fantastic as it was then.  Everyone loved their meals and had a great time.

Crews from Blue Heaven, Kathrian, and Arturus enjoy a delightful dinner at S.N.O.B

We are all determined to leave tomorrow at 8AM.  Al said "We ate our way through Charleston.  So it is time to move on!"  We shall see!